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Replacing the Hammond decal on the fall board

11-21-2018, 10:50 AM

Has anyone removed the old faded Hammond decal from the fallboard ( black metal rail between the two manuals)?
The one on my B3 is faded and I'd like to replace it w/ a new one I have a source for a new decal but I don't know the safest way to remove the old one w/ out removing some of the black paint and causing it to look worse. i also wonder if after removal , would some of the letters still be legible due to the fading over the years of the black fallboard.

I removed mine with one of those pre-soaped pads you can buy for washing dishes. The panels were powder coated and the finish is quite durable. I didn't notice any blemishing from removing the old decal. I got my new one from https://www.letteringonthecheap.com/vinyl-lettering where u can design your own.

Over the years: Hammond M3, BC, M102, B3, four X77s and three PR-40s, a Thomas Electra and a Celebrity, three Fender Rhodes, Roland HS-10, HP-2000, HP-600, RD-600, JV-880, a thing made by Korg (?), two Leslie 910s, 122, 257, 258, 247, two 142s, and three custom-built Leslies. Wow, way too much money spent!

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Has anyone removed the old faded Hammond decal from the fallboard ( black metal rail between the two manuals)?
The one on my B3 is faded and I'd like to replace it w/ a new one I have a source for a new decal but I don't know the safest way to remove the old one w/ out removing some of the black paint and causing it to look worse. i also wonder if after removal , would some of the letters still be legible due to the fading over the years of the black fallboard.

thanks

I have not done this, but something mild like Goo-Gone would be a good start with a paper towel. I think you are right that something too aggressive might pull some of the paint with it. If Goo Gone doesn't work, the next think I would try is iso-propyl alcohol. A bit more aggressive is ethanol. Anything more aggressive than that will likely take some of the pain off. I suspect if you get the decal off, you will have some faint shadow of the Hammond lettering, but you could use that to help place the new decal. Of course if you are not dead on, you might see a shadow effect.

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Thanks guys. Good tips on removal and what to look out for w/ possible issues. The price from Pierce Piano Atlas is very good compared to some others. Nice to know they are of good quality.

I have used Pierce decals for years and have been very pleased with the product, and will continue to use them for both the Hammond logo as well as the Leslie logo.

Note that this is not an exact replacement (really close, though), as the original is an actual decal which is thinner and you cannot really feel the edges of the letters.
This decal from Pierce is actually a very thin sticker, and as such you can "feel" the edges of the letters. Also keep in mind that this is not noticeable when looking at arm's length, and not many people routinely rub the letters anyway.
The sticker is not exactly the same size as the original, it may be 1/32 or less smaller.
Because of the way it is applied, it is extremely challenging to try to put it in the same exact location as the original.

I remove the old one with liquid rubbing compound. It seems that Hammond may have used different types of decal over the years as some are harder to remove than others. I have not had much luck with solvents, but that may be just me and the particular rails that I am working on.
I use Meguiers Ultimate Compound which is not too harsh or abrasive. Get this or any other brand liquid compound at any auto place like Pep Boys or Advance. Some Walmarts have it as well.
I have never rubbed thru the paint yet. I also use the stuff on all metal parts, it really does a nice job of restoring the original luster of the painted parts.Important disclaimer: this assumes that the rail has the original powder coat finish. If it has been repainted at some point in it's life, disregard my suggestions as there is a danger that one can rub through regular paint.

If you have never applied a transfer sticker, there is a definite procedure that works best. I should finish up a video that I started to show how I install them.
If you are at a point that you need to put the transfer on and are unsure how to do it, let me know and I will put something together to help.

Just a note on this subject; there is a guy on Ebay that sells original front rails that he strips and powder coats so that it is really close to original. He says that he takes old ones for a discount on purchase of one of his re-coated ones. He charges $99 for the recoated ones, and he does not say what the discount for a trade is. I have not actually purchased from him nor talked to anyone who has. This may be an option for someone if they wanted a repainted one bad enough and did not have the facilities to recoat them on your own. These rails do not have the logo on them, BTW.

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The early Hammond rails were not powder coated,the process didn`t exist in the prewar era.It was developed in Germany and patented in 1953.Where is there evidence that Hammond ever switched to powder coating in the 50`s?

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The early Hammond rails were not powder coated,the process didn`t exist in the prewar era.It was developed in Germany and patented in 1953.Where is there evidence that Hammond ever switched to powder coating in the 50`s?

I agree with you on that. I've never heard the metal parts are powder coated, that's a much more modern invention. From Wikipedia:

"The powder coating process was invented around 1945 by Daniel Gustin US Patent 2538562."

I'd be willing to wager Hammond spray painted all metal parts, which was "baked on" in a drying oven. Pretty typical industrial process for that time, but is not the same as "powder coating."

1962 Hammond A102

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Interesting. I just assumed that the parts were powder coated as that seemed to be the common theory, based on the appearance and toughness of the finish.
If this was paint, it was sure applied skillfully, as the parts are totally smooth and orange peel free.

Whatever the finish, it was certainly tough, as I have tried removing it with paint stripper that would remove polyurethane and epoxy paints, and it would not budge. Obviously I have no idea what the vintage of that rail was, as parts get swapped routinely.
The only way I found to remove the finish is power sander.

As far as my above post about removing the old decal with liquid compound, it does work well, as I just did this to a 1945 model CV. It took a fair amount of rubbing, but the old decal finally disappeared and whatever paint is on it was not harmed.

I just found out today that a powder coat shop just opened last week right here in town. I plan to take a ride out there and see what they can do with a set of front rails and DB base.

I just downloaded a video on installing that decal, but for some reason the sound disappeared so I will reload it tomorrow.

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Spray painting and drying at high temperature is as tough of a coating as powder coating. The value to powder coating is there is no solvent. Once the coating is applied, it is also baked at high temperature. The difference is in powder coating, the coating "melts" and forms a seamless "skin" on the part. In the traditional process the baking drives off all the solvent and hardens the paint. I think the traditional process actually leaves a tougher surface than powder coating, but powder coating is a less expensive process and you can basically do it in your garage with the right equipment. That's why you see powder coating businesses pop up all over the place. Time will tell if powder coating is as good as industrial painting.

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Watching Bob's video reminds me that I really MUST order some new logos. The nice new gold finish puts my faded and worn one to shame. When I last had the panel off to replace the felts following another of his videos, I dropped one of the little washers from the panel screws down between a pair of keys on the lower manual. Haven't found it so far...